Broken Glass Hearts
by NicoleLightwood
Summary: Clary Fairchild has transformed from being an abused thirteen year old girl to a headstrong, fierce shadowhunter. But she has her flaws. She cannot live without her white mask that she never takes off. Ever. But when Jace Lightwood arrives at the Redding Institute 'Under the Clave's demand', Clary's world with her mask might just be transformed. Will he find out why she wears it?
1. Chapter 1－ McDonalds

**A/N: Hey. So this is just a little random idea that popped in my head a few days ago, so I decided to type it up back then. I'm kind of tired of studying now, so I decided to post this. I hope you enjoy! Don't worry about Dreaming of Paradise, it will be updated after my annoyingly big test (And gym class) tomorrow, and I'm not dropping Dreaming of Paradise off for this one.**

**This is an all shadowhunter story. I hope you enjoy, SCROLL DOWN. :D**

* * *

Clary Fairchild licked her dry lips as she scoured the club for demons. She pulled on her skimpy black miniskirt. She detected one. Leaning against the wall, the bright rainbow lights shining in its face, was an Eidolon demon. Isabelle Trueblood, her parabatai, was at her back.

It seemed to notice her as its eyes ran lazily over her body and came to rest on the mask on her face. She stiffened. She hated when people stared at her mask. _It's part of who I am, you so better accept it. Don't accept me if you can't accept the mask._

She pushed the mask higher up her nose as she beckoned the demon to come here. He grinned and sauntered over, smiling seductively, eyes shining with pleasure.

Clary grinned and started to head towards the supply closet in the club, the demon hot on her heels. She let the demon pin her up on the wall, and it started to lift her mask off. "Stupid little mundie." It hissed.

Clary smirked. "Mundie, huh?" And kicked it on the chest, launched herself on it, pinning it to the ground. She drew out a seraph blade from her sheath. "Stupidity will get you somewhere." She said with a grin and stabbed the demon in the head. Poor little Eidolon demons.

Isabelle finished another one off with her glittering silver whip, and it automatically looped around her wrist as the demon coiled into itself, going back to the ugly dimension they were from.

"They sure are stupid." Clary laughed, pushing her white cat mask up higher back onto her nose. The mask had attracted an Eidolon demon shape-shifted as a male in a club, looking for stupid mundie victims to snack on. Instead, it had bumped into Clary, and she had killed it while it was trying to pin her up on to a wall and probably eat or kill her.

"I know, right." Isabelle replied to her parabatai as they walked out of the club, laughing and joking. "Can we go to McDonalds?"

"Um, no, Isabelle I'm not going to the mundie restaurant with with you."

"But aren't you _hungry? _Call it McDonalds! And we've just been demon hunting, so I'm _hungry!"_

"No. Sorry. But buy me a burger." Clary pushed her mask higher back up on to her nose again. It was an old habit. Her mask was a plain white one with two cat ears at the top, which covered the upper part of her face and half of her nose. Of course, there were two holes cut out for Clary to see, and frankly, she has never taken the mask off since 3 years ago. And when she did, it was to shower.

Isabelle had gone to the store with her 3 years ago to pick out a mask for Clary to wear, and she immediately pounced on a hot pink one coated with glitter from the top to bottom. Before Isabelle could say anything, Clary said no and picked one herself.

Clary was one of the best shadowhunters in California. Everyone liked her. She was well known because of her amazing talent at killing demons and naughty downworlders alike.

A couple of years ago, when Clary was 13, Isabelle found her sitting on a side of the pavement in the streets of Redding, California, kicked out from her house by her abusive "brother" and "father" when she accidentally-on-purpose stabbed her brother's arm when his abusing got enough. They were about to kill her when she drew a portal and got to California, tumbling down the sidewalk.

Isabelle and the others had been her family ever since, and Redding had been her home ever since. Once she entered the Redding Institute and looked at herself in the mirror, she had requested a mask for herself to wear.

Isabelle and Clary had gone straight out to shop for a mask Immediately the next day, and she came back with this one.

She had been wearing it ever since.

"Clarissa Fairchild. If you are not coming, I will drag you in there myself. Literally. I will." Isabelle said, placing her hands on her hips.

"No. Why do we have to go there, anyway?" Clary complained.

"Yeah, but someone needs to get some food! And because I just don't want to go there myself. And Taki's is a twenty minute walk, while the McDonalds _mundie restaurant _only requires five. Now, on the count of three!"

Clary sighed in exasperation, and followed Isabelle down the street to the McDonalds'.

They arrived into the local McDonalds', and giggled as they saw the woman with sideburns at the counter. Sideburns. Really.

As usual, she gave weird glances at Clary's mask for as they ordered an Egg McMuffin and a cheeseburger. Isabelle seemed to notice her staring because she shot the lady a look that said '_Got a problem?'_

Well, she, of course backed down and packed the food up for them.

Back at the institute, Isabelle finished her Egg McMuffin in five clean bites. Of course, Clary wasn't surprised. She laughed.

"Seriously, Iz."

"Sorry. But- But I'm just so- _hungry!"_

They laughed along and Maryse, Isabelle's mother and Clary's adoptive mother walked into the room.

"Isabelle! Clary!"

Clary turned around, pushing her mask up her nose once again. "Maryse!" While Isabelle called "Mom!"

"Hey, girls. I see you've got McDonalds." She popped a fry into her mouth herself, a piece of paper in her other hand. Clary sighed. What was up with the Truebloods and McDonalds? They seemed to love it.

Just then, a little nine-year-old boy with messy brown hair and glasses, or Max, Isabelle's little brother and Clary's stepbrother walked in too. Max immediately walked over to Clary while she ruffled his hair lovingly. "Clary!"

"Hey, Max."

"Where have you been? I finished the latest issue of Naruto!" Clary smiled. Max's adoration for manga was adorable.

"Oh, me and Izzy's just been… out."

"Tell me next time when you go out!"

"Alrighty, Max."

Maryse twiddled with her hair nervously.

"I need to discuss something with the three of you."

Uh oh. Isabelle shot Clary a look. That only meant something bad or something unexpected.

"So." Maryse said, resting her elbows on the table, making the two girls even more nervous. "I need to tell you, dears, that starting from next week there will be some.. visitors who will be staying here for a while."

"Visitors?" Clary blurted out. She wasn't used to having visitors. Usually it was only herself, Isabelle, Max and Maryse living here.

"Yes. I understand that you aren't used to anyone living here except for us, Clary, Isabelle. Especially you, Izzy. I'm sorry, but the Clave has very specific orders for us to follow."

"Why?" Isabelle said exasperatedly. "And _living _here? I thought they were only supposed to _stay _here for a while! Why?!"

"Because." Maryse said. "Because.."

"Because?"

"Because the Clave requires us to." She said softly.

"You need to tell us, mom, not just 'The Clave requires us to'. Screw the Clave. They're messed up."

"Language, Isabelle. They're here for a reason."

"Then tell us, mom! We need to know why they're here!"

"Enough, Isabelle. I'll tell you when the time is right. See, Clary, unlike you, isn't whining! Your little brother isn't either!"

"I'm not _whining. _I just want to know the _truth."_

Maryse sadly shook her head. "Sorry, Isabelle. No."

Isabelle rolled her eyes and seemed to give it up. For now, anyway. "When will they be here?"

"Next week. Monday, to be exact."

"Who are they?"

Maryse looked at the piece of paper in her hands. "It says Alec and Jace Lightwood and they're going to be coming all the way from New York City."

* * *

**Of course, Jace and Alec will be in the next chapter. Thank you so much for reading. Please review and all that stuff. :)x**

**With love,**

**Nicole**


	2. Chapter 2- Demon Hunting

**A/N: Hey everyone. I'm sorry for not updating for Dreaming of Paradise, and I'm now currently working on the next chapter of it. Not ditching it, but just this chapter I'm working on is kind of hard to write. Anyway, thank you so much for the 7 reviews for the last chapter!**

**Anyway. This is chapter 2 and where Clary and Isabelle meet Jace & Alec, might be interesting. lol. Anyway, I don''t own TMI. Or its characters. Cassie Clare does. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

Clary colored in the green iris of a person's eye on her sketchbook. She set down the pencil and looked out the window. Today the guys from New York would get here.

She wrinkled her nose at the paint-splattered tee she was wearing. She decided to change into a soft purple sweater, readjusting the mask again on her face.

Right. She would get the stupid stares from them again, like how people always stared when they noticed Clary. Well, she was actually pretty used to it now.

The door opened and in came a bored looking Isabelle. "Maryse's went to pick them up. They'll be here in, say, 5 minutes. They're coming through a portal."

Clary nodded. "Okay." She said slowly. "Do you think they're gonna find me… Weird?" She consciously pulled on her mask again.

Isabelle laughed. "Since when did you care about what other people thought? I'll just tell them to back off."

Clary gave her a weak smile. "Thanks, Iz." And then she gave her a hug.

"We better go down." Isabelle said. "_To greet our new guests."_

Clary sighed and followed Isabelle down. And waited for Jace and Alec to come.

o~O~o

"Welcome, boys. To the Redding Institute. Clary and Isabelle are just around the corner." Maryse said, leading the two boys into the Institute.

Clary sat on the chair, playing with some leftover fries on the table. She picked a cold fry up and put it into her mouth and flinched.

"This stuff is gross, Isabelle. How do you actually enjoy eating it?"

"I can't believe you just said-" Isabelle was cut off by their mother's voice. "Clary, Isabelle, your... fellow shadowhunters are here."

Clary turned around. Immediately her eyes fell onto the blonde one. She became mesmerized with his face. Gold eyes, curling blonde hair, angular cheekbones and a lean, muscular build, her fingers started itching for her color pencils and her sketchbook. Well, he looked like an angel.

He stared at her mask. And finally, his lip curled up into a smirk.

"Jace Lightwood. Seventeen. New York Institute. Amazingly talented demon hunter and killer, musician, annnd the ladies' man. Fell for me yet?"

Clary scoffed, and then furrowed her eyebrows, partly because of the usual-mask staring, the arrogant remarks, and… how this guy seemed to perfectly know how hot he was.

"This is Jace, Clary." Maryse nodded at Clary, a slight smile on her face. "Clary, Jace." She started to introduce Alec to them, which was a tall boy with black hair and blue eyes, but she wasn't really paying any attention.

"Please don't stare." Were the first words Clary muttered to Jace.

He arched an eyebrow. "Well, it's not every day where you see a pretty, pretty girl wearing a mask."

Her face turned slightly red, causing Jace to grin more.

He opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by Isabelle.

"Don't think of asking her to take it off, angel boy." Isabelle said, her voice dripping with sweet venom. Clary shot her a look.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We're being a little…. _stiff _around here, are we?" Jace retorted with that annoying smirk. Clary swore, she could slap it off of his face. "And I've heard, Clary, that you're well known around here? California?"

Clary nodded and shrugged. "Sure, I guess. We're a pair. Me and Isabelle. How about you, _Jace Lightwood_?"

Jace laughed. Clary started to glower at him. Was he making fun of them?

"So." Maryse said. "So… What are your interests, Jace and Alec?"

"Interests?" Jace said. "I have a lot. I like people killing things, especially me. And… I like riding horses and… mangoes. And making girls drop dead."

Clary couldn't help but snort. _Mangoes? _

"Is that actually an interest? Mangoes?"

"Yeah. Eating mangoes."

"And you, Alec?"

The conversation carried on like this until Maryse started on the "Romance" topic.

"Do you have girlfriends back home?" Maryse smiled at them.

"Nope." They both said.

"I'm _single."_ Jace smirked, obviously directed at Clary. "Now hit on me. Most girls can't usually resist me."

Clary scoffed. "In your dreams."

"In my _wet _dreams."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Okay, now we're done talking. Let's have Maryse to lead you to your rooms."

"Wait, Clary?" Alec stopped to ask. "Why do you have that mask on?"

Clary shook her head. "Because…. Because I just do. Please don't question me about it."

Alec shrugged and turned away, Maryse leading to show them their rooms. As Jace walked away, he shot Clary a glance and a grin as if to say "We're not done yet."

Clary felt relieved as Jace went away, although he was a hot water bottle. _Hot water bottle? Really?_

She spent the whole day out with Isabelle and Max in Forbidden Planet, trying to take her mind off the full-of-himself angel.

Clary chatted with Isabelle as they walked back to their rooms. "Where do you think Jace's room is?"

One of the doors to one of the spare rooms opened.

"Did someone say my name?" Jace walked out. "Talking about how handsome and gorgeous I am? Can't wait to see my _mad shadowhunting skillz?"_

Clary rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself."

Jace turned to look at her, this time without the smirk. "You may be the first girl who has ever said that to me. I am really deeply hurt."

Clary turned away. "I'm not surprised." She muttered.

"So. One of the best shadowhunters in California. Well, I'm one of the best in the country. I'm sure two guys can beat two girls any time."

"Oh, yeah?" Clary crossed her arms, a side of her lips curling upward. "Wanna bet?"

"Sure. You lose, you owe me a kiss. You win, let's say I… will not bother you for the rest of my stay here. Although that might be hard." He said.

"Careful, Angel boy, we're a lethal pair." Clary wrapped her arm around Isabelle's shoulders. And a kiss. Gulp. She'd scrub the Institute's bathrooms with a single toothbrush and then brush her teeth with that toothbrush before kissing someone like _Jace. _Well, sure, his narrow mouth sure looked appealing, but- _Why was she thinking these thoughts?_

"Tomorrow." He grinned. "Demon hunting."

"Sure!" She walked up to him, a smirk playing her lips. Well, Jace was a whole head taller than Clary. "I know this place. I know where to go. And it's _not _a club."

"Okay. Deal. Tomorrow, then, _Fireball."_

"_Not _Fireball." Clary said, exasperated.

"Good night, Fireball." Jace said, turned around and walked back to his room, but not before waving his fingers at her.

o~O~o

"Seriously Iz, we gotta win this, or he'll _kiss _me."

"You shouldn't have done that." Isabelle grinned. "And come on, admit it, a part of you in there actually wants to."

Clary turned red.

"Well, I have now. And I've known him for a day, and I know what type of person he is. I'm sure it's kinda obvious, but he's definitely not going to let this go." Clary pushed her mask up again. "So. What do you think of Alec?"

"Alec?" Isabelle said blankly. "He's fine… At least he's not an arrogant ass."

"Fine." Clary agreed.

"Let's go get some sleep. Do you know where to take Jace and Alec to hunt tomorrow?"

"Demonic Alley. Possibly. Good night." Clary said, rolling around in her bed.

"Night, Clary."

As the lights went off, she carefully untied the mask cord and set it onto her bedside table and finally fell asleep.

o~O~o

Clary woke up, dread curling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know why.

She put on her mask. After washing up in the bathroom, she went out for breakfast. And today she had to go demon hunting with _Jace_ and Alec.

"Morning." She muttered as she sat down on the chair. Jace sat on the chair adjacent to her, in a black t-shirt, jeans and a messy blond bedhead.

"Morning, Fireball Princess." Jace said, spooning eggs into his mouth.

"Seriously?"

He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling up. "In return for 'Angel'."

"Funny not funny."

"Anyway, we're up for today."

"So are we. Watch out, Angel boy."

o~O~o

Thirty minutes later the four shadowhunters were clad in all black, freshly applied runes on their skin, ready for a fight.

"So, where to, Clary?" Alec asked, swinging his bow as they walked along the pavement.

"I know where we're going." She said, a bit irritated.

"Okaaay." He said slowly.

Five minutes later, they stopped at an alley between two redbrick buildings. Trash were littered along the sides, and a pair of gleaming green eyes peeked out from the trash can.

"So… Where are the demons?" Jace asked with a bored tone.

"Shut up. Good things come to those who wait." Clary said, filing her nails with her stele.

"Seriously." He huffed. "That's not true. To me, good things come to those who actually make an effort."

Clary heard a hissing sound right behind her as she started on her ring finger. "Damn. There they are, Jace. Your demons. No, wait, they're _mine."_

She didn't wait for a response from Jace. Clary backflipped, and did not miss the Drevak demon as she crinkled her nose at the disgusting rotten smell.

Clary almost got a scrape from one of the demon's poisonous fangs as she impaled it through the heart. Thank god the thing didn't touch her or she'd have lost the bet.

More skittered out from the gate that divided the alley into two. Jace and Alec, she could see, were warding off some more Drevak demons while Isabelle fought with a Kuri Demon. It made wailing noises just as Clary started to help Isabelle, red weals appearing on the demon as Isabelle used the whip on it.

It finally died, and Clary was back to handling more of the Raveners.

"Dammit, who knew so many of these things would come up in here?!" Called Jace as he fought one.

"I told you!" Clary called back as she slashed on a Ravener with her double blades.

Those hideous Raveners kept coming. Clary killed about 4 of them, with help from Isabelle. Clary barely paid any attention to the boys, sweat from her forehead collecting in her mask. She gritted her teeth. _Ugh._

She finally finished off the horde of Raveners coming at her. She turned around, flashing Isabelle a grin, while the boys watched her in awe. When she opened her mouth to speak, she saw Izzy's eyes widen. Before she could call out a warning, the Ravener demon's poisonous green drool splattered onto her shoulder, and immediately it burnt. Pain danced inside her body, and black spots swam across her field of vision.

"Clary!" She heard her parabatai's voice yell.

She whimpered as she heard the sound of the demon being killed, and as someone swung her up into their arms.

"Don't worry, I got her." Her hearing was fuzzy and her shoulder was burning.

The last thing she remembered before blacking out was staring into an exquisitely beautiful pair of golden eyes.

* * *

******Being the gentleman now, are we, Jace? :)x ****The Shadowhunters' Codex helped me through this chapter. Thanks, codex. I'm almost done with Allegiant, and... yeah I've heard dem spoilers.**

**Anyway, please review! Thank you everyone for your support! Next chapter for both this and Dreaming of Paradise will be posted shortly, I hope.**

**With love,**

**Nicole(:**


	3. Chapter 3- Piano Keys

**A/N: Helloooooo you all amazing people. I'm trying to make my chapters longer and my updates faster. Alright, so I told you that the next chapter for Dreaming of Paradise would be uploaded soon but now I have lied to you. I'm sorry, I'm an asshole. Expect an update from Dreaming of Paradise during this week, and I'm seriously trying to improve it. **

**Thank you to the 13 reviewers and all the other favoriters and followers. You all are so supportive. :)x Anyway, please enjoy, and in this chapter Jace's skills with the piano will be introduced.**

**Oh right and a disclaimer: I do not own TMI nor do I own Mozart's Piano Concerto number twenty-one.**

* * *

Clary had a weird dream. A really, really weird dream that involved Jace and... her brother.

In her dream, Jace didn't walk on land.

He flew in the sky.

With angel wings.

She admired him from afar, but just as he was going to swoop down and scoop her up to fly with him, he collapsed.

And in his place was Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern. He didn't have white angel wings like Jace, he had black ones.

Like an achaierai demon.

He flew toward her, a Jeff The Killer evil grin on his face….

o~O~o

"She's going to be awake soon, Jace. You don't need to stay next to her all the time."

"I choose to, Alec. What if she doesn't? Wake up I mean."

"Shut up, boys. Look- She's moving!"

"Clary! Clary! She's awake, Izzy and you two!" Came Max's voice.

Clary twitched around the bed with closed eyes. Most of the pain in her left shoulder was gone. She could hear clearly.

"Clary, can you hear me?" Came Isabelle's voice. "Clary?"

Clary's eyes fluttered open, and Isabelle's face hovered above her. She turned her head to see Jace sitting on a chair right beside her, and Alec pacing around in the room, looking annoyed.

"Are you alright, Clary?" Asked Jace. Clary was surprised. She had never heard him sound like that, with a touch of concern in his voice.

"Yep." She said. "Although my sight's a bit blurry…" She rubbed her eyes.

"Oh, right. Here." Isabelle handed her a vial of clear liquid, which Clary knew was going to help her get rid of the burning feeling in her stomach and the blurry eyes she had.

She drank it in one gulp and smiled as the blurriness and her stomach pains went away. "How long was I out for?"

"Two days." Jace said.

"_Two days?!"_

"Yep."

"And he sat there for the past forty-eight hours without really moving." Alec said flatly, pointing to Jace. "You should be grateful."

"Not quite. I went to my own bed to go to sleep." He turned toward Clary. "Don't forget, Fireball, you owe me a kiss."

Clary groaned, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Say _what?" _Alec said, looking outraged.

"Alright. No, Angel boy." Isabelle said for her.

"But we won the bet!" Jace pretended to pout, which Clary assumed that it made most girls fall to the ground. Well, not her, anyway.

"No. Still no." Clary crossed her arms. "What time is it, anyway?"

"It's 9. Pm."

"Great. Guess like I missed most of this day too."

"Did someone say kissing! Ew! That's gross!" Max said.

"Alright. Fine, Fireball, but I _won't _let you off next time." He wiggled his eyebrows. As he left the room, Alec narrowed his eyes at her and shot her a look. What was up with him? He usually acted mild.

Shaking her head, Clary got up. She decided to go to the library alone.

She reached the last aisle of books. Cursing herself for her short height, she stepped onto a stool and reached one of the books at the top of the shelf.

She took it down. It was the Truebloods' collage book.

She smiled as she looked at her handwriting when she was thirteen years old.

_Hi. If you're reading this now, I strongly advise you to close it unless you are Clary Fairchild, Isabelle Trueblood or Max Trueblood. Thank you._

_Signed, Clary._

She laughed as she flipped through the pages of photos, drawings, messy scrawls and recordings of demon kills.

_Today we went to a local mundane restaurant called McDonalds. It was good, and I know I will be going there more often. _

_Signed, Isabelle._

And next to it was a photo of the fast food restaurant. Clary rolled her eyes and smiled.

She reached up to the bookshelves to read some more books, some more old books. She pulled the first one she laid her hands on.

_The Odyssey._

Most people would say it was boring, like Isabelle, but she started reading it anyway. And when she finished, for some strange reason, she did not feel tired.

She felt awake. She didn't feel sleepy, and for some reason, right now she was in her wandering-the-institute-alone mood, which actually calmed her down.

She dressed up in a sweater and walked out of her room. As she crossed the hallway, she heard… soft, sweet piano sounds.

Apparently, someone was playing Beethoven.

She slowly opened the door to the room where she knew the piano was kept, and peeked her head into the room.

He sat there, fingers running swiftly across the piano keyboard. Clary smiled as he played, entirely focused on the keyboard, and to nothing else. He seemed to be in his own world, and he looked- peaceful and even more beautiful.

So was the music. Where did he learn to play like that?

Clary leaned her head against the doorframe and listened to the beautiful, soothing ear candy. She had to admit, she had lost track of the time.

The music stopped abruptly as Jace turned around. Clary was still leaning there, in a daze, drowsy from the music.

"Clary?"

Clary almost jumped five feet into the air as Jace's voice snapped her out of her reverie and back into reality. "Huh? What?" She blinked. "Oh. Hi."

He grinned. "Were you standing there for the whole time I was here?"

"Um, no."

"Something tells me you're lying."

"I'm not. I was there for about, um, twenty minutes? Amazing music, by the way."

"Thank you. I was there for twenty-five. To be honest, I wasn't expecting a compliment. You know, I thought you hated me."

"Hate? No, not really. I don't hate you. It's just sometimes you can be an ass."

"Right. So I've heard."

Clary laughed.

"Do you play any music? Or instruments?"

Clary shook her head sadly. "No. Don't have time. I wish I could, because music amazes me, how sweet and beautiful and soothing it can be."

Jace nodded. "I know, right. My dad used to teach me how to play the piano. Now he's…."

"Gone?"

"That is an acceptable way to say it." He said, his voice and face emotionless. Did his father also... Well, harm him like Clary's father did to her?

"Do you miss him?" Clary said bitterly.

"Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't." He said, looking at her. "I guess you're now thinking about your father?"

"He's not my father. He stopped being one."

"Oh." He said softly. "So…. You wanna play? With me?" He gestured to the piano.

Clary's mouth fell slightly open. "O-Okay."

Jace's lip curled back up into his signature smirk as he guided Clary onto the piano seat and started to teach her the simple notes.

Warmth radiated through the spot where Jace touched her wrist and covered her hand with his. Clary studied his face, his long golden eyelashes, the slight chip in his incisor. She felt something spark inside of her.

"Okay. Let's now try this out." Jace said as he pulled out a stack of music that he probably usually played and placed it in front of them.

"Wow?" Clary said, cocking her head and eyeing the jumble of notes that were the music. "Jace, I can't play Mozart's piano concerto number twenty-one."

"Wait, what? Oh, oops." He laughed as he took the sheets away and left the one at the very bottom of the pile on the fallboard.

"Good." Clary said as she eyed the sheet of music, which contained of only some of the notes Jace just taught her.

"Okay. Let's start with the right hand."

Clary squinted at the sheet of music. "Um, does it say G?"

"Yep. G. Remember where it is?"

"Yeah." Her finger reached the G key and she played it.

"Great job. Now, what does that say?"

"Uh, F. Right. F."

"See that little thing over there? Beside the note? Like a tic-tac-toe map?"

"Um, yeah?"

"That's a sharp. Press the black key next to the white F key."

"Um, right." Clary did as she was told and pressed on the key.

"Great. Now can you continue?"

"Sure I hope!"

Jace smiled and started to guide her through the piece of music, and in about 45 minutes she was done.

"Great. You mastered it. Not bad for a beginner!"

"Not bad?!"

"Okay. Amazing for a beginner. Let's call it a day? Meet me here tomorrow… 11 pm?"

"Sure. Can't wait."

They walked out the door, and Clary couldn't help but feel that she shared a bond with Jace, a treasured secret, and if someone knew or if any of them told someone, the bond would be severed and the secret would be gone.

As they stopped at Clary's room, she quickly stood on her tiptoes and kissed Jace lightly on the cheek.

"There. Now I don't owe you anything."

He looked stunned. Stunned? Weird.

"Night!" Clary said cheerfully.

"N-Night."

* * *

**I have science homework.**

**It is irritating.**

**Anyway, please review! Those would totally make my day! Expect an update soon.**

**With love,**

**-Nicole :)x**


	4. Chapter 4- Training Swords

**A/N: Today is Friday The Thirteenth... :3**

**Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating. I was working on Dreaming of Paradise, as I had promised. I'm still sick, I'm still taking meds and tomorrow I have a Christmas ball to go to. Ugh. Amazing time to get sick. **

**I'm so pumped up for Christmas! Officially 12 days left! **

**Anyway, thank you all who reviewed, favorited and followed. It means alot to me! **

**This chapter is mostly about training and piano. ENJOY!**

* * *

The next morning, Clary woke up in a more cheerful mood than usual. She put on her mask. Isabelle knocked on her door and walked in.

"Where were you last night?"

"Were you actually looking for me?" Clary choked back a laugh.

"Yeah. I was. Well, I think I heard some music?"

"Well, you probably imagined it." Clary shrugged dismissively. "Who would play music during such an hour?"

"You're probably right." Isabelle nodded. "Ready for breakfast?"

"Yeah, sure. Please tell me it isn't McDonalds." Clary muttered.

"Nope. This time, it's takeaway Chinese!"

"Good." Clary rolled her eyes. She got dressed in a beige sweater and walked to breakfast.

Jace, Alec and Maryse were already at the table. Jace flashed a smile at her. Alec seemed to notice as he clocked him on the arm.

Jace shot him a glare and started to whisper into his ear, and Alec seemed to roll his eyes.

"Are you feeling better now, Clary?" Maryse asked with concern. "Thank goodness we didn't need to call Magnus over."

"I'm a lot better now."

"Has anyone heard any music last night? Like, I think I heard the piano playing yesterday. It was kind of creepy."

Jace shrugged. "Probably a pterodactyl."

"Or Mister Jennings." Clary said, trying not to laugh.

"Or Snoopy the Dog." Jace looked away nonchalantly.

"Or Utau Hoshina." Clary said, spooning her Mu Shu Pork into her mouth.

"Or Princess Celestia." Alec sniggered.

"Okay, enough. I was probably imagining it."

"Who knows? It might be Winston Churchill." Jace said, shrugging again.

"Alright, alright, STOP. I get it, I get it."

"Okay." Clary said, pushing her mask up again, giggling.

"Do you guys want to go training?" Asked Isabelle.

"Later. But I'll do it." Clary replied.

"I like Applejack." Alec said, out of the blue.

Clary started laughing her head off at the My Little Pony reference. She couldn't believe Alec liked it.

"Oh, yeah, forgot to tell you, guys." Jace said in a bored tone. "Alec is a brony. Just ignore him if he starts babbling about season 4 or something."

Alec grinned sheepishly.

They all continued laughing their heads off.

o~O~o

"Are we up for training?" Isabelle asked, flipping her hair.

"Yeah, sure! Why not! I'm looking forward to fighting with Clary." Alec said, grinning. Clary cut a glance at him.

"No, I'll fight her first and then you can do it." Jace said dismissively. "Why don't you go with Isabelle?!"

Isabelle looked weirded out.

Clary shrugged. "I don't know."

They reached the training room, and she immediately picked up a training sword and handed Jace the other one.

"Well, I guess I'll fight you first, Jace." Clary said.

"Okay. Easy or hard?"

"You decide."

"Alright. Not telling you, then."

"Whenever you're ready!" She said and laughed. How fast Jace swung at her startled her, and she had barely enough time to dodge before his sword would chop her in two.

"Whoa." She panted as he came again, and again, and again. They danced around the training room. When Clary made a move, Jace would deflect it easily. He seemed to sense when she was going to backflip or make a move or anything- He was pretty good.

She tried to low cut him, but failed. Instead Jace had the sword knocked off her hand and on the floor. He kicked Clary down onto the floor and raised the tip of the blade to her chin.

"You win." Clary breathed.

"Told you." Jace laughed.

Clary seemed to notice how awkward the position they both were in right now and got off him. Her heartbeat went after. Oh well, it was just because of the training. Or was it also because of something else?

Jace seemed to notice because he plastered on another killer smirk. Heat was clustered in her mask. She had never been this tired because of training before as she wiped more sweat off her head and inside the mask. She then pushed it up again.

The mask was a little bit damp, but she'd manage.

"That was great. To be honest, you were one of the most hardest girls I had ever battled. That took twenty minutes."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Good to hear. Anyway, wanna fight, Alec?" She wanted to see how Alec could do even though she was very, very tired.

"Ready?" Alec grinned.

"Sure."

Then he lunged at her. She immediately deflected the blow and leapt away.

As Alec swung his sword again, she backflipped over him and swiped at his legs. Of course, he immediately jumped up and whipped around to cut at her neck. She dodged it and made a move at him, and his mouth dropped slightly open. Surprised? Hell yes.

"I'm telling you, Alec, don't cut my mask." Clary said as she deflected and dodged every blow Alec sent at her.

Alec had pushed her to the ground and had kicked her once, but then she had rolled away and swung her leg out to make him fall, and then before Clary could touch the tip of her blade to his heart, he had stood up and started fighting her again.

At last, as he prepared to swing, she hit his blade two times and immediately it fell out of his hand and hit the floor with a loud clang. Calmly, Clary touched the tip of her sword to his heart and smiled. "I win."

Alec's mouth was open. "N-Not bad."

"Not bad, Alec? She was phenomenal!" Jace whistled and clapped. "Well, of course, she's not as good as _me, _though."

Isabelle looked proud. "That's my parabatai."

Clary panted as she wriggled her hand into her mask and more sweat away from her head.

"So. What's next?" Isabelle singsonged.

"Archery?" Suggested Alec.

"Just combat?"

"Whipping?"

"I'll take archery." Clary grinned. She wasn't surprised when Alec's arrow hit the dead center of every single target, no matter how far away it was.

"I'll need your skills, Alec."

Alec smiled, and they ended training.

o~O~o

Clary took a shower after training, and went for lunch. She twirled some spaghetti into her mouth while her friends discussed the morning.

"How the hell were you that fast, Jace? Usually not too many people beat me in combat." Clary asked.

"Oh, just- Training. A lot of training. And by a lot, I mean _a lot." _He said, but his eyes seemed to flicker hesitantly.

Was he lying?

"By a lot how much do you mean?" Clary smirked.

"I said, it's _a lot. _Training nonstop for a whole… week."

Clary shrugged and looked back to her lunch. "Okay." She said slowly.

"You should try it out sometime." He said casually. "I could help you out with it."

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, I guess. I want a fry." She pointed at the plate of Jace's french fries.

He grinned. "No."

Clary decided to see how fast he actually could be. Her hand shot out as fast she could to grab a fry from his plate. Before her fingers could touch it, her hand was knocked away hard.

"Seriously!" She rubbed her hand with her other one.

"I said no." He said, smiling. "But if you ask me _nicely-"_

"Okay, _oh-kay! _Mr. Lightwood, would you mind if I ate one of your french fries?"

"No." And then he gave one to Clary.

Well he was speedy.

o~O~o

As she had promised, she met Jace in the piano room during 11.

"Be careful, Isabelle's going to come and gonna be all like 'Oh my god Martin Luther King Junior's playing the piano. I guess what Clary and Jace said was true'". Clary said, smiling slightly as she slipped onto the piano seat.

Jace laughed. "Don't worry, we're just going to hide behind the piano."

"Right."

"Okay. Let's test your memory." He pulled out the sheet of music that Clary had played yesterday and set it in front of her.

"Hm. G. F sharp. D?"

"Yes."

She played the whole song again, and she knew she had gotten better.

At the end of the song, she turned to Jace, smiling.

"Good! We'll do a new one next time! And we might be starting on the left hand. Now I'm going to test you out on remembering the keys!"

Jace pointed at a key.

"D."

"And this one?"

"B. No, wait, A? Right. A."

"Good. This one?"

"G."

"We're officially going to start on the basics of the left hand. Or shall we just go on with a right handed piece?"

"I don't know. You plan it. Can you play a song?"

"Which one?"

"Just a random one."

"Okay." And then he started to play something really sweet and… sad sounding.

"This is a song in G minor."

"Minor?"

"Major and minor. Well, they are different 'modes' of a piano piece. Major songs sound.. happier while you could say this song sounds sad, therefore it is minor."

He continued playing the song, and immediately Clary felt drowsy. Before she knew it, she fell asleep, leaning on the piano. Jace picked her up and put her to bed, a smile on his face.

* * *

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. **

**REVIEW!**

**-Nicole :)x**


	5. Chapter 5- Cookies and Dark Eyes

**A/N: Hey! I was scheduled an update today. I guarantee that none of my updates will be longer than one week. Thank you all who reviewed, favorited and followed this story and the last chapter! I hope you enjoy this one! Jingle Bells keeps on echoing in my mind. In the Christmas Spirit! Officially less than a week left! ^~^**

**Ugh, it's freezing here.**

**So here we read about how being a girl can be irritating sometimes. And of a certain someone.. :)x**

**Scroll down!**

* * *

The next morning, Clary woke up, feeling annoyed. She felt… weird. As if something sticky and watery was running around in her pants and on the sheets.

And then her eyes widened as she realized what was happening. Ugh. Of all days, it HAD to be today! And for the rest of the week!

Ugh… She had forgotten! She reached down with her hand to touch her pants. Her hand was covered with blood.

Yes, it was that time of the month again.

Clary sighed. How could she have forgotten?

She stood up and flinched at her pants, and realized that she was craving what she was always craving- chocolate chip cookies.

Groaning, she grabbed a new pair of pants, her mask and underwear and a pad and went into the toilet to do her business.

She emerged from the bathroom and then started to clean up her sheets. And saw Isabelle.

"So, what do you want to do today?"

"Nothing." Muttered Clary, elbowing her out of the way and out the door to get her precious cookies. Isabelle stared after her in confusion until she saw her room which was slightly stained with blood.

Clary barely noticed Jace. She was tired and grumpy and had a scowl on her face, although she wasn't sure anyone would see it, anyway. She passed Max in the hall, only giving his hair a half-hearted ruffle.

"Clary?" Jace caught on her arm and placed a hand on her back and immediately she slapped him off.

"Leave me alone."

"Um, Clar-"

"I said, leave me alone. Please." And then she continued on walking to get her cookies. She was really hungry for them right now.

She finally got to the fridge and immediately took out a plate of chocolate chip cookies. It was kind of hard and frozen, but who cared?

"Clary?" Came Jace's voice.

"Mffph." Clary, her mouth full and eyes narrowed, turned to Jace. "What?"

"Are you okay, Clary? You're a little bit…"

His eyes widened.

"What?!" Clary cried as she surveyed his shocked expression.

"Blood! Clary, are you- bleeding? Your hand!"

Clary looked down at her hand too see her hand coated with... Well.

Jace rushed over and grabbed her wrist to survey the blood. "I'm fine, Jace!" Clary said. "Jeez, let me go! Jace!"

"But-"

Clary sighed. "Jace. I'm having my period. Seriously! Is it that hard for you to figure it out?!"

"Oh. _Oh. Ohhh. _After being a shadowhunter for seventeen years, I have forgotten about the secrets of womanhood."

Clary laughed. "You do remember now, do you?"

"Mhm."

Suddenly, a wave of pain greeted Clary's abdomen.

"Oh my, Raziel- Bloody hell." Clary cried out and started to drop to the floor, her hand pressed onto her stomach. But before she could hit the ground, Jace was there, catching her with one arm extended. He pulled her into his chest.

"Clary, don't tell me." Isabelle said, hurrying in. The annoying blood soaked Clary's pants as she clutched on her abdomen.

She stayed in bed almost all day, after taking a fresh shower. She was twitching and turning and occasionally swallowing a bite of cookie lying in her bed.

"You'd rather face a horde of demons, wouldn't you?" Jace chuckled as Clary laid on the bed.

"Yeah. It's not funny" She moaned, twisting around in the sheets in her sweatpants. "I need tampons."

"Oh, okay. I'll tell Isabelle to go get them for you."

Clary nodded and twisted around again, her mask pressing into her nose as she slept on her stomach. "Thanks, Jace." And she fell asleep.

o~O~o

"Isabelle, are there any tampons for Clary?" Jace knocked on Isabelle's door. "She needs some!"

Isabelle opened the door and scoffed. "Why don't you get them yourself, since you just ordered me out of her room? I'm her parabatai and I am supposed to be there for her!"

"Right. Sorry. Whatever. Are there any tampons for her?"

Something inside Isabelle seemed to click. "No." She said shortly. "I'll give you some money, though. Go out and get them yourself."

She handed Jace a ten dollar note. His eyes widened and he didn't take it from her. "I'm not doing that. I can't, Isabelle. I'm a _man."_

Isabelle tried to refrain from twisting her face into an evil smile. "You care about her, don't you?" She brandished the ten dollar note at him.

Jace looked at it weakly.

"Come on, Jace. Don't make me tell everyone around here that you're afraid of buying a girl _tampons."_

Jace rolled his eyes. "_Fine!" _He said exasperatedly, yanking the note out of Isabelle's hands and turning around to the door.

"She uses Playtex Gentle Glides! Buy the 36 pack! They cost about $8!" Isabelle called out from her room, giggling as Jace walked out of her room and down to the store, muttering and grumbling annoyedly.

o~O~o

Jace looked weakly around the section where the store sold tampons and pads.

Playtex Gentle Glides… Playtex Gentle Glides, there they were.

Jace flinched as she took a pink packet off from the shelf. $8. Good. These were the ones Clary used.

He smiled at the thought of Clary, and how her mask had been stained cutely of chocolate.

She was… different. So different. Different from all the other girls. She was actually pretty, beautiful and cute all mixed together at the same time. And the most pretty, beautiful and cute thing was about her was- she didn't even know it.

He needed to find out more about her. About her mask, about everything. He was fascinated by her. And she had to know that he wasn't at all who he was. Because behind this mask he was wearing was a broken person, haunted by his past and his memories.

As he paid for the tampons at the cashier, took the change and as he walked out, he became aware of someone watching him.

He turned around to see a pair of fathomless black eyes watching him, framed by a pale face and pretty striking and handsome features.

His hair was white-blond.

All he could say was- Creepy. Very, very creepy. His face was devoid of any emotion at all, but those piercing black eyes seemed to be staring right through his soul. His hands were stuck into the pockets of his leather jacket, and he was clad in all black. Jace could barely see any of his skin in the lower parts of his body.

He turned away from those black eyes and back down to the Institute, shoulders hunched, looking out for those eyes.

They seemed everywhere now. He was freaked out.

He entered Clary's room to see that she had fallen asleep in her mask. He didn't want to wake her, so he put the tampons on her bedside table while patting on her soft hair for a while. After that, he went to the fridge for a snack, still creeped out by the black eyes that were firmly imprinted in his mind.

* * *

**I am sure we all know who he is. :O**

**Review please! Update will be soon, I hope. Merry early Christmas! **

**-Nicole :)x**


	6. Chapter 6- The Truth

**A/N: Hey there, y'all! I've updated! This is chapter 6. Not much to say, but if you could, please check out my oneshot 'Weaving Out A Dream'! Reviews are welcome!**

**Scroll down, hope you enjoy. Merry early Christmas! :)x**

* * *

"Hey- Clary?"

"Yes? What?" Clary asked as Jace looked over at her.

"Oh, um- I- are you better now?"

Clary gave him a blank expression. What was up with him? After she had woke up from her sleep, he had started to act weirdly. "Yep, I'm a lot better now, thanks."

"Oh." Jace said. Was it just her or did he seem a little… Paler?

"Jace, are you alright?" She waved her hand in front of his face, willing to make him snap out of his reverie.

"Oh. Oh." He replied, a little dazed. "Yeah. Sorry… Just thinking about something."

"Really? What were you thinking about?" Clary said, smiling and leaning on to her arm. Jace didn't usually think about something so intently that he stayed in his own world, in a daze.

"Hm. Nothing. Nothing you should worry about." He said firmly, and then reached out to touch the part of her cheek that wasn't covered softly. "I'll go now, I'll see you later."

Clary watched him leave, confused.

o~O~o

Jace gingerly opened the door leading to one of the other spare rooms in the Institute. He had to admit, he hadn't done much exploring around the place since he got here.

He wasn't sure if he was allowed to enter, but he did, anyway.

This room seemed to be bigger than all the others. Not to mention, _different._ A pretty chandelier hung from the ceiling. The walls were covered with cream-colored floral wallpaper, and the floor was rosewood. A wooden chest of drawers sat on the right side of the room, pretty patterns and flowers carved on the wood. The handles were brass, and were icy cold as Jace pulled one of the drawers open.

Inside were a stash of papers, letters, and sealed envelopes. Of course, he left the sealed envelopes alone while he slowly selected a crumpled up piece of paper in the pile.

The contents of the piece of paper were written in a pretty cursive. He scanned it down.

_15th July_

_Greetings, the Truebloods' Collage Book. Isabelle and I went out shopping yesterday and Izzy just saw this pretty red leather book and just decided to buy it, along with my new mask._

_I've spent two days here and I already love this place. I feel a gazillion times safer here. To be honest, living anywhere is better than that hell of a place I once called my 'home'. I hope Jonathan and Valentine, or my 'family', ugh, don't find me._

_His creepy black eyes and white blonde hair still haunt my nightmares. His creepy voice does too. I hope he will never, ever find me. His whips and knives do too. Too bad my scars just brings me back my memory. I am trying hard to forget. I want a forgetting rune._

_I am very happy here, and I hope that will never change. I love Isabelle, Maryse and Max. It's my second day and I already know they're my true family._

_Clary Fairchild_

_Thirteen Years Old _

Jace almost dropped the paper, bile rising in his throat. He quickly stuffed it back into the drawer and closed it with a firm 'click'.

He wondered how many more of those diary-papers he could find in there. Clary was just like him. Haunted with a terrible past and memories. He knew the combination of white blonde hair and black eyes were pretty unusual. He got the feeling that Jonathan was an intelligent person. The boy- the one he had seen in the store- was most likely Jonathan.

And how his eyes had bore into him.. And about her mask.. Jace's mind was whirling.

His eyes darkened as he thought of his former father. Stephen Herondale. There was a reason why he changed his last name.

Stephen Herondale had experimented on him- Experimented on him with a certain dead angel's blood. Which was the cause of his… Well, he didn't really want to talk about it.

Slowly, he opened another drawer.

Inside was a dagger.

Tentatively, he picked it up and ran his finger along the shining blade.

A star was carved on the marbled blue hilt. Jace raised one eyebrow. That wasn't just any star, it was a morning star.

_Morgenstern. _It hit him like a brick.

He raised the blade up closer to his eyes, examining it carefully. Then he saw it. At the side of the hilt, were two carved words. Or one carved word and one carved letter.

_Clarissa M._

That dagger… It had belonged to Clary.

Clarissa Morgenstern.

That meant the boy he had seen in the store…. was Clary's diabolical brother.

Jonathan Morgenstern.

o~O~o

He had scoured through almost all the papers in the drawers, each and every one irrelevant to his important discovery about Clary a while ago.

Finally, almost screaming in frustration, he stuffed all the papers back into the drawers and ran out of the room, sweating, Clary's former dagger in his pocket. He decided that he would go to the library to look for the "Truebloods' Collage Book'.

He cut around the corner of the hallway, stopping abruptly as Alec was in front of him. He would have slammed into him if he didn't stop.

"Jace?" Alec said, sounding surprised.

"Hey, Alec." He nodded. "I'll see you later, I have something to do."

"Oh. Uh, okay… Jace?"

"What?" He said, twisting around.

"I think you left something." Alec said, pointing to the ground, where he had dropped Clary's dagger.

Jace swore under his breath and leapt there to pick it up and slipped it back into his pocket.

"What is it? I've never seen it before. A blue hilt? Where'd you find it, Jace?"

"I'll talk to you later, Alec." Jace said before starting to run again. He got to the library. Or would the collage book be in Clary's or Isabelle's room?

No, the library was the biggest possibility.

Maryse was sat at one of the tables, glasses perched on her nose, reading something that was placed on her desk. She looked up just as Jace entered.

"Oh, hello, Jace. Came to read? Or clear your mind a bit?"

He wasn't sure if he should tell Maryse, but he then remembered that Clary had mentioned something about Maryse in one of the entries. He decided not to tell her.

"Oh, yeah. Just came to do that. Thanks." He then turned around to one of the library shelves that were filled with books.

He craned his neck, looking for the red leather book Clary had mentioned. He wondered why Clary had tore some entries out and left some in the collage book.

Hm. Works by Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Wilkie Collins, William Shakespeare and more lined the shelves of the library. He smiled.

It took him a while to find the collage book. He had spotted it, at the very end of the last shelf, a majestic red leather book with gold patterns and lettering.

Carefully, he flipped it open.

Pictures of the family here and there, diary entries, messy scrawls, just a recording of the normal lives of thirteen to fourteen year olds. For some reason, Clary and Isabelle had stopped writing at fifteen years old.

There was nothing about her former family. They were only mentioned in that paper.

And the dagger. He fingered it in his pocket. He then carefully placed the book back to where it originally was, and left the library, exasperated.

Looked like learning and finding about Clary would not be easy.

o~O~o

Clary stood up from her bed for dinner.

She had sensed Jace glancing at her for a few times when she was eating. It was making her uncomfortable. What was up with him?

She decided to ask him during piano time.

"Jace, take your right hand out of your pocket while eating." Isabelle snapped to him.

"Oh, and I'm not allowed to do that because it's dinner. How is it any of your business, anyway?"

"Ever heard of table manners?"

Jace set his jaw. "No."

Clary glanced at him uneasily.

Isabelle sighed. "Give it up, Jace. What's in your pocket?"

He seemed to go rigid at that but the expression went away after a second. Isabelle, being a shadowhunter, of course, noticed it.

"What is in there, Jace?" She said menacingly. She swiped at his hand, but of course, he was too fast to her and dodged her while leaping up from the table. He grinned. "Catch me if you can!"

And then in a second, he was gone from the room while Isabelle ran after him.

"What are they, six?" Clary said to Max, who started to giggle.

"They're sillier than me, mom! I don't play that any more!" He said to Maryse who patted him on the head.

o~O~o

Jace started to teach her the basics of the left hand.

"I don't think I can remember that much, Jace." Clary said as he pointed out the notes on the music piece to Clary.

"Don't worry, you'll get there someday."

"I think today's been a week since you came." Clary told him.

"Yep. I think I know that."

Clary raised her eyebrows at him, playing the C,E and G notes with her left hand on the piano keyboard. "Do you have any questions?"

"Questions?"

"Yep. Questions about me, my family, yeah. Since we're friends, maybe we should- like- learn more about each other."

"Sure." He said quietly. "But I don't think you would answer- Sorry."

"You've been acting really weird today. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

Clary nodded. "Alright, I believe you. Question?"

"Who was your brother?" He said. Clary froze, the question having caught her off guard. The soft playing of piano keys were stopped abruptly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ask you that. Well, what's your favorite col-"

"My brother was Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern. He's eighteen. He's been one hell of a person. He and my so-called father kept me prisoner for thirteen years, never really letting me out of my house. They abused me. They loved to throw me around and whip me and cut me whenever they felt like it. They loved to play around with me until one day I had enough. I cut Jonathan on the arm. He was about to kill me when I made a portal and portaled here. This was my home, my family ever since."

Clary's head was lowered.

Jace said nothing, but of course he thought about if that was the reason why she wore her mask. Was her forehead lined with scars? And about seeing him in the store, seeing Jonathan Morgenstern in the store, should he tell her? He just pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on hers.

* * *

**Please review so I know if I'm doing okay!**

**-Nicole :)x**


	7. Chapter 7- Isabelle Still Isn't Over It

**A/N: Hi! This is the last part of my Christmas present. I hope you enjoy, and thank you for all the reviews, faves and follows last chapter!**

* * *

For the next day, Jace told Clary that it would be best to stay in the Institute for the whole day.

Clary didn't question him. She was sure that it was because Jace didn't want her to fall down because of period pain again. Haha. He was such a gentleman.

Jace spent most of his time on examining the dagger. Running his thumb across the blade, prodding it to see if it could do anything on its own.

Alec noticed and came over.

"Jace, whose is that?"

"It's mine, Alec. Now shut up."

Alec didn't answer. Jace sighed. "Alright, Alec, I'm sorry." Alec didn't ask him anything about the dagger after that.

As Jace poked on the dagger for the sixth time, Alec piped up.

"Seriously, Jace, it's not like it will grow legs and start walking if you poke it."

"I know, just clarifying."

Alec rolled his eyes and left the room, in search of something else better to do. Jace went back to the dagger.

Clary sat up from the bed. She decided to go find Isabelle. "Izzy?" She said, knocking and entering her room.

Isabelle was sitting on her bed, in a white nightie. "Clary? Are you better now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. A lot better, although I still need my tampons."

"Right." Then she stood up and perched on the windowsill. "I still keep on hearing music at night. I wonder if it's some kind of creepy ghost. I'll have to find out. I'm going out to investigate tonight. Wanna come with me?"

Clary's eyes widened for a second. "Um, Izzy. Didn't we finish talking about this? You were probably imagining it."

"Why are you refusing to believe that it is true? Do you think I'm lying?"

"No, it's just- That-" Clary was a second away from spilling on Isabelle about her and Jace and how they met every night to play the piano, but she remembered how much she treasured the fact that it was a secret between them, so she didn't.

"That- it just sounded really unlikely. I'm sorry, Iz. I'll go with you." And then she swallowed.

Most of Isabelle's scowl came off of her face. "Okay." And she hopped off the windowsill and walked into her bathroom, holding a bundle of clothes.

"Iz, you're not mad at me, right?" Clary called into the bathroom.

"No." Isabelle's muffled voice called right back out.

"Good to hear."

After a while, she walked out and sat on the bed next to Clary. "So." She said slowly. "I've seen Jace getting close to you. Has he tried anything yet?"

Clary felt her face go hot. There were the pros and cons about wearing a half-mask- one of the cons were that people could still see your blush.

"Has he?"

"No. Now shut up. Jeez, Isabelle, he's a _friend."_

Isabelle gave her a cold stare. "You know, I don't see how you can stand him. He's annoying and arrogant, and he tripped me yesterday too. That sneaky little bastard. What do you see in him, anyway? I always know it when you like someone, Clare."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Well, what did he have in his pocket?"

Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, I don't know but- It was something shiny."

"Okay."

"Well. You haven't answered my question yet. What do you see in him?"

Clary's mouth went dry. She didn't really like talking about Jace, but she had to admit, she had some kind of unknown feeling towards him.

"Well?"

"I don't know. All I know is- He isn't all annoying and cocky and rude and bastardish and arrogant." Clary murmured, thinking about yesterday and how comforting he had been.

Isabelle laughed. "Bastardish."

"Oh, and yesterday he had asked me about…"

Isabelle froze and Clary's serious expression and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Jonathan?"

Clary nodded numbly. "Yeah. Somehow he's found out about him."

"Are you really that comfortable around him? I don't want him hurting you or knowing anything he shouldn't know…" Isabelle trailed off.

"Right." Clary said, nodding. "Jace… I'm sure he won't do that."

"Boys." She sighed. "You never know."

Clary knew what she was talking about. Isabelle had dated a faerie knight- Meliorn a few months ago, and he had broken her heart. Clary had sworn to kill him, but he had never made an appearance.

They went to eat breakfast. Only Alec was sitting at the table, eating cornflakes.

Clary cleared her throat. "Good morning, Alec. Where's Jace?"

Alec gave her an icy look. "Jace's… examining some dagger." He shrugged. "Poking and prodding it like it was going to grow wings if he poked it a few times."

Clary laughed.

"I don't find it funny, he has some serious problems. He was gone for most of the day yesterday, although Maryse says she'd seen him in the library."

"He reads?" Clary asked Alec.

"No. He doesn't."

Clary arched an eyebrow.

"It's kind of weird and frustrating, how he won't tell me anything he's been up to. Like, I see this weird dagger in his pocket with this blue hilt. I've never seen him with it before. And he's been looking troubled…"

Clary and Isabelle stiffened. "What did he have in his pocket again?"

"A dagger." He said, finishing his breakfast. "A dagger with a blue hilt and a shiny blade. It's pretty, but where on earth did he get it? And he claims it to be _his."_

"Um, Alec, do you notice any more details?"

"Um. No. Except it was unlike any seraph blade he had ever owned. And the hilt… It was marbled and blue."

Clary froze, her green eyes wide. Isabelle grabbed her arm.

"I- I'll go find him."

o~O~o

Jace spent the next ten minutes flipping the dagger around in his hand and reading the diary entry over and over again. He had no idea why he was so- so _attached _to this dagger and this piece of paper, but about Clary-

He cared more about Clary than he thought he could care about anyone.

He knew she was something special from the moment he had laid eyes on her.

And now she was probably in danger.

Somebody knocked on the door of his bedroom. He immediately threw the items under his bed and went to open the door.

Clary and Isabelle stood at the door. Clary looked distraught while Isabelle looked nothing but flaming mad.

Clary probably saw his naked chest because a cute pink blush spreaded over her cheeks. Jace grinned. But then her face got serious and she looked back up at him.

"Listen, Jace." Isabelle snarled. "Where is her dagger?"

He had to admit, he wasn't expecting that. "Dagger?" He immediately asked.

"Spill. You took her dagger in the drawer, didn't you?"

Jace scowled. "What makes you think I did?"

Isabelle narrowed her eyes. "Alec."

"_Alec?" _Jace said in disbelief. Isabelle smirked; you didn't usually see Jace surprised.

"Alec told us you had a blue dagger in your pocket. That was what I saw shining yesterday, didn't I? Now give it back, you little-"

Clary cut her off by walking towards Jace and placing a hand on his arm. "Jace." She said gently. "Did you take the dagger?"

There seemed to be something battling in Jace's eyes. "Fine. I did." He blurted out.

"And?" Isabelle placed her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry, I'll give it back."

Isabelle nodded in approval as Jace reached under his bed and drew out her dagger, handing it to Clary. She immediately slipped it into her own pocket.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, just don't take my stuff without asking anymore." Clary brushed the back of her hand across Jace's cheek and stepped back.

"I'll just leave you two to your own devices. Oh, and Clary don't forget to mention to him about tonight's investigation."

"_What did she say?"_

"Oh." Clary whispered. "She's found out about the piano playing." She said secretively.

Jace rolled his eyes. "Damn it."

"She refuses to believe it is not true, so she's pulling me to go with her. And you too, now."

"Right."

"And, uh, Jace, are you going to put a shirt on?"

He flexed a muscle at her, laughing, while Clary turned even redder.

* * *

**Reviews are welcome! I'll say this one last time- Merry Christmas! :)x**

**~Nicole**


	8. Chapter 8- What's Going On?

**A/N: Hi everyone. Sorry for not updating. Thanks for all the reviews, faves and follows. They mean alot to me. Stayed up to finish this chapter, hope you enjoy xx**

* * *

Clary sat on her bed, deep in thought. Jace had her Morgenstern dagger, which she had once thought of throwing into a stream once she had got here.

She had never wanted to see it again, but Maryse insisted that she kept it because, who knew what would happen to the dagger if she disposed of it?

How did Jace find it? Well, it was in the room-

She scowled at the dagger in her hand. Well, she didn't care about Maryse had said three years ago. She ran out of the Institute, and started running towards the stream she had visited three years ago.

She tossed it into the river and watched it flow with the current.

She knew that the dagger wasn't going to be completely gone just yet, but she didn't care right now.

She walked back to the Institute, still thinking about it. Maybe she should check on that piece of paper she had wrote about Valentine and Jonathan, since she didn't want to see anything that had something to do with her former family.

Clary walked back into the Institute, the gang waiting for her at the dining table. Thankfully, she saw, that Jace had a shirt on. Right. Heh.

They were eating pizza, probably Pizza Hut or something. She muttered a greeting and grabbed a slice.

"Where were you?" Isabelle asked her, daintily cutting her slice into pieces and forking it into her mouth.

"Somewhere." She said.

Isabelle looked up from her food.

"Fine, I was at… the bookstore." That was the first thing that popped up into Clary's mind.

"_The bookstore?"_

"Yeah. I was there. You know, I keep looking for new books for the library."

"Right. Okay. But next time just tell one of us before you go."

Clary grinned. "You always know when I'm alive. I'm your parabatai."

Isabelle muttered something under her breath and went back to eating her pizza.

"So." Alec said. "Where are we going for today?"

"Well." Isabelle said, setting her jaw. "We could go to the Oasis Fun Center, McDonalds, abandoned demon bridge, the pool-"

"Let's go to the bridge."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Demon bridge were one of the places where we were at before Maryse announced that you guys had to come."

"So you're saying that something marvelous will happen right after we finish demon hunting over there?" Jace smirked. "Not that Maryse is going to announce that more guys are coming over here, though. Or girls. I'm going to be the ruler."

Clary raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I hope that'll happen." He chuckled.

"Well. Yeah. If you say so. It's settled, right? Demon hunting at the demon bridge." Clary finished the last of her pizza.

"Sure." Isabelle said, got up and went to her room to change.

"See you later." Clary muttered and went back to her own room too, and changed into her usual shadowhunter gear, and walked out of her room, a seraph blade in her hand.

Isabelle met her in front of her room, with Jace and Alec in front of the entrance to the elevator. They applied glamours and off they were.

Clary tentatively stepped into the open under the bridge. Jace and Alec started to check if there were any demons anywhere.

There were.

Clary made an "ugh" face as she heard Raveners skitter down, advancing onto her. She backflipped, landed behind the demon and stabbed it straight through where its heart should be. It disappeared.

She laughed. Jace seemed to be warding off another two, while Alec faced a circle of demons with his bow and arrows.

Clary advanced towards the demons that surrounded Alec and cut off the tail of one Ravener. It screamed, and the demon next to it got the full poisonous blow in its face, and both of them disappeared.

One seemed to be creeping around Alec's back so Clary threw her dagger which lodged into the demon's back, and the dagger clattered onto the ground.

She immediately grabbed it and whipped around, ready to face any more remaining demons, and spotted a Drevak demon.

She scowled as she watched the black spines and its mouth, and she barely had time to frontflip before the thing flashed towards her.

Isabelle's glittering silver whip curled around one of its legs and it snapped off. The thing whipped around and advanced towards Isabelle and Clary lodged it in its back.

They had to ward off another few before everything was gone, and Clary stood next to Isabelle, grinning, wiping off the sweat on her forehead.

"That was nice." Alec said, walking towards them. "Jace?"

Clary turned and spotted Jace. He was kneeling on the ground, his back curled over. He seemed to be very much in pain.

Clary and Alec immediately rushed over while Isabelle followed slowly behind. "Jace!" Alec shouted. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I feel great right now. You should leave me here and not come back to pick me up."

"Your sarcasm is unbearable. You're really mean and hurting sometimes, you know that, right, Jace?" Clary snapped.

"I have to agree with that." Alec muttered under his breath.

"But anyway." Clary said. "_Are you alright?"_

Jace winced. "No."

"What's happening?"

"I know what's happening. Don't follow me, or I'll kill you." Jace said. And then he got off the ground. His back lowered, he whipped off all his clothes, threw them on the ground and ran away, disappearing from Clary's sight.

"Jace?" Clary said, her mouth slightly open, looking out after where Jace had been moments ago. Then her gaze shifted to the pile of clothes on the ground. "Well, that's the _second _time in a day." She laughed weakly.

"Let's wait." Isabelle said. "For him."

"I say we all go after him." Alec said.

"But he said not to go after him otherwise he'd kill us. Well, he's Jace, and he'd probably come back after a while." Isabelle said, coiling and uncoiling her whip around her wrist.

"Let's go." Clary said impatiently. "I don't care what he said, I'm just gonna go see if he's alright."

"Coming." Alec said, and started up the slope.

"Fine, I don't wanna be alone, anyway." Isabelle said, kicking away a stone with her heeled boots.

They all started up the slope until they reached the top, and looked around for any signs of Jace.

They couldn't see him anywhere in their field of vision. They started into a patch of trees near the bridge, and looked around, calling for Jace.

Clary kicked on a branch. The boots she were wearing were a lot of help, and she was thankful for them.

They were fifteen minutes into the direction, so they turned back because of Izzy's complaints and went the other side instead. After forty-five minutes, they decided to just go back and wait for Jace.

Who knew Jace would be leaning against the bridge, arms crossed, fully dressed, looking sick and weary?

"Um, Jace?"

"_I told you to wait for me."_

"Well, you couldn't blame us. We were pretty worried." Clary said, annoyed.

Jace covered his face with his hands.

"Um, Jace, what happened to your back? It's all like-" Alec gingerly touched an unusual bulge in his back.. "Weird?"

Jace flashed away. "No." He said shortly, and started up the slope and started to go back to the Institute.

o~O~o

That night, Isabelle proceeded to "investigate" on the case of the strange music at precisely eleven P.M at night.

She crept around the Institute with a flashlight in her hand. She handed Clary and Jace flashlights too.

Jace seemed to be in a pretty bad mood after the bridge hunt this afternoon. Clary had tried to talk to him but he just waved her away. He didn't come out for the rest of the day, but he did when Izzy went out to check the music out.

The bulge seemed to be gone at his back when he finally went out of his room, and Clary, of course, was relieved. But the dark circles under his eyes and the unusually pale skin was still on Jace, and he seemed to limp when he walked.

"Jace, are you seriously all right? Stop lying, please?"

He seemed as if he was about to explode at Clary about how annoying she was but at the last minute- he seemed to hold it back.

"I'm fine." He said shortly. "I'll just tell you what's happening tomorrow, possibly."

"Right." Clary said, and found her hand squeezing his. When she started to try to pull away, he did not let go of her hand.

Clary smiled, her hand in Jace's as Isabelle started into the piano room.

"Okay. No. Let's call this out." Isabelle said, yawning.

"Told you." Said Clary, teasingly. "Let's just go back and sleep."

"Right."

Clary didn't really have a relaxing sleep that night. She kept tossing and turning in her bed, rubbing her still-warm hand, thinking about the day's events.

* * *

**Please review, I love me some reviews. **

**~Nicole :)x**


	9. Chapter 9- Confessions

**A/N: Hey everyone. Quick update. I'll be updating Happily Ever After soon enough, expect an update a few hours later or tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed the last chapter.**

**Please enjoy xx**

* * *

Clary woke up.

The first thing that popped up into her mind was- Jace. Jace, Jace, everything she thought about now seemed to be Jace.

She had mixed feelings about him. He was confusing, like when she had started to succeed in taking the mask he was wearing off of him, he seemed to slam it back on.

And what happened to him yesterday? She remembered that he said he would tell her yesterday.

So she washed her face, brushed her teeth, slipped on suitable clothes and her mask- and off she was to his room.

She slipped out from her door and slammed into Isabelle.

"Izzy? Why are you awake so early?"

She narrowed her eyes at Clary. "Clary. Don't tell me you're going to go off to the _bookstore _again. Have you been seeing someone? Or perhaps you have been going out with Jace?"

Clary's eyes widened, while her face flushed bright red. "I have _not _been going anywhere. Listen, Isabelle, I'm sorry I haven't told you. I was outside yesterday… disposing of the Morgenstern dagger."

"You _what?"_

"Don't be mad, Isabelle, but I threw it into the stream."

"Ugh, Clary!" She threw her hands up into the air. "Why are you so terribly _stupid? _Why don't you ever _listen?!"_

"What?"

"Well, you never know who might pick the freaking dagger up! You never know what might happen to it! Why, Clary? You're so damned _stubborn!" _Izzy turned on her heel and went back into her room and slammed the door.

Clary thought about going after her, but she knew Izzy would recover after a while. After all, she had been mad at her. So she walked up to the door to Jace's room and knocked.

A tousle-haired Jace with sleep circles under his eyes opened the door. Clary thought he looked a lot more younger and innocent.

He gave her a small smile. "I don't recall telling you to knock on my bedroom door eight in the morning."

Clary shrugged. "Well, you're awake."

"Whatever. Come in." Jace allowed her in, and the first word that registered into her mind was- clean.

And bare.

Well, the walls were bare and white, the sheets were white, and pretty much everything was white.

She looked around consciously and pointed to the bed. "I- ah- can I-"

"Sit? Yeah."

Clary took a seat and Jace did too, next to her. She became aware of how close he was, how awkward the situation was and the smell of clean cotton.

"So." Jace started. "Promise not to tell anyone."

"I swear on the angel not to tell anyone."

"Good enough." Jace said. "When I was in my mother's stomach, my father's 'boss' instructed my father to give my mother cups of angel blood to drink, and therefore inject me with it because I was in her. It was an experiment- a very bad, cruel and evil experiment- to take the blood of an angel and then experiment with it on a child."

Clary's mouth dropped open. "Wha- What do you mean? _An angel?"_

He sighed. "Yes. The angel Ithuriel. Let's just say I'm a lot more angel than usual. Do you want to hear the rest?"

"Y-Yes. If you're fine with it." _Not surprised, _Clary thought. _That's probably why he looks so much like an angel. _

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm fine with it. Anyway, when I came out of my mother's stomach, my eyes were gold. My skin kind of had a gold tint to it. My hair was-" He messed around with his hair. "Like that too."

"People call it tan skin." Clary chuckled nervously.

"My father started to train me to become a warrior. Well, I wasn't good enough for him so I was thrown away into the nearest Institute, which was the New York one, where I met Alec and Robert, my adoptive dad. I was very depressed for a while, and they both helped me through it. I thought I was over with the stupid angel stuff."

"And when I hit thirteen, I started to feel, like, pains in my back. It went on for two weeks, and at the end of the second week, I felt something grow out of me, which I could actually control. And they were wings. Goddamn _wings. _Angel wings."

"So yep. Every year it's gonna happen, like, grow out of my body, and let's say I've kept them hidden for the majority of the year. But when I hit eighteen, they're probably going to, like, _stay _out there forever. It's just half a year away. My eighteenth birthday."

Clary was speechless for a while before she spoke. "Oh- that- that's-"

"I know." He said in a flat tone. "It's a lot to process, and you're the first person I've ever told this to about."

"Not even Alec?"

"Not even Alec."

"Oh, well, uh- thanks. You- you trust me that much?"

"Yeah. I'm actually very surprised myself, like I can't even believe it myself. But I do, Clary. You seem to give me a sense of- belonging." He said, and gently brushed a piece of hair from her face. "And you told me about your past. So I should too."

Clary laughed nervously. "So… we're both people with a weird past."

Jace smiled, and looked down at his lap. "More like a messed up one."

"Yeah, I have to agree with you."

"Welcome to the club."

Clary grinned. "So. I was just wondering… If you could, you know, like, wear the wings? Like, get them out from your body whenever you want to."

Jace raised both his eyebrows. "You really want to see them? I haven't tried it out before, but I think I can…" He whipped off his shirt while Clary giggled. "That's the third time in two days."

He smirked. "Attractive, right? Yep." Then he stood up, turned on his back to Clary, lowered his head, and probably started to… concentrate or direct all his energy towards the spot on his back or something.

And then after ten seconds, white figures- _wings_ seem to sprout right out from his shoulder blades. They almost touched the ceiling of Jace's bedroom, and Clary's mouth dropped open. She then started to relax and reached out in wonderment to touch one of the wings. The white feathers were very soft and silky.

He turned his head toward Clary and flashed his smile. "Cool, right?"

"Cool." Clary said, giggling nervously, and started to stroke the wing. And then she buried her face in the soft wing. "It's a lot better than my blanket. Like, a blanket with feathers. I could sleep in these. And seriously, it smells like cotton. Like a fresh one."

The tip curled around her wrist and trapped it there, and started to pull her towards Jace.

"Um, Jace, how the hell do you control these things? Jace? _Jace!" _Clary shrieked with laughter, as the wing started to press Clary's body to his.

Clary stopped laughing after she realised that she was squashed up on Jace's _bare chest._

"Are you going to let me go now? I mean, my nose's feeling rather uncomfortable with the mask on."

"You could take it off." He suggested.

Clary rolled her eyes. "Why, Jace Lightwood, you are very truly brave. No one, and I mean, _no one, _ever asks me to do that."

"Oh." He says quietly. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Clary shrugged. "It's fine, I guess."

"Well." He laughed. "That doesn't stop me from doing this."

"Um. Wha-" Clary barely had enough time to speak before both the wings wrapped around her body and lifted her up. Jace started to brush his lips against hers, sparks of electricity started to course from her lips to her body- and was interrupted by somebody knocking on the door.

"Damn _it." _Jace said, looking frantic. The angel wings slid back into his shoulder blades and disappeared again as the person knocked louder on the door, so Jace stormed over there and slammed it open.

Alec and Isabelle stood there, looking confused and annoyed.

"What?" He said, sounding very irritated.

"We were looking for Clary." Isabelle said, looking worried. "Have you seen her?"

"Clary?" Jace said slowly, and turned his head towards the corner of the room where Clary had scrambled to when Jace had opened the door. "Um.."

Isabelle walked into the room and towards Clary. "_Clary? _What were you doing in _Jace's _room? And he was half naked!"

Clary, because she was still overwhelmed by the information and Jace's past and the wings and the almost-kiss, she shook her head.

"_What? _We better go out and _talk." _She spat, a fair amount of toxin in her voice.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Please review, me likey dem reviews :)x**

**~Nicole **


	10. Chapter 10- Fall For Me

**A/N: Sorry. Late update. Well, TGIF. Good news. I'M FINALLY DONE WITH EXAM WEEK. Wooo. **

**Now I'm free to update instead of study [Cue melodic happy voice here] ALL DAY LONG. Yep. Expect an update for Dreaming of Paradise either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. That story's almost over, anyway :c**

**First exam week of the year finished, one more to go. Please enjoy. xx**

* * *

"You better tell me the truth." Isabelle said calmly, like her anger a few moments ago had been leached out of her.

"Why wouldn't I, Isabelle?"

"Well, you were very keen on lying to me yesterday."

"Okay. Fine. Ask me a question and I'll answer truthfully." Clary said, her eyebrows scrunched together.

"What." Isabelle said calmly. "Were you doing in Jace's room?"

Clary hesitated. "I was talking to him about my parents."

"Is that all?" She looked superior, in her heels and leather jacket.

"Yes, that's all." She said smoothly, but inside she felt like crap for lying to her best friend. But it was a secret, and a secret was a secret.

"Why was he half naked?"

"He just woke up and was too distracted to put a shirt on." Clary said.

Izzy's face seemed to soften a bit. "Alright, alright." She said impatiently. "I believe you. I just wanted us to be truthful to each other, because frankly, Clary, you've been pretty weird these past few days. I keep on wondering if it's because of Jace."

Clary swallowed the lump of guilt in her throat as she felt her face go warm at the thought of Jace. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you seem to be really distracted by Jace these days…"

She shrugged. "I don't know, I'll try to be less like that. I mean, you're my best friend, and… and he's just a guy I just met, I guess."

But it didn't feel like that.

Izzy grinned and threw out her hands, and Clary ended up giving her a huge bear hug.

o~O~o

Isabelle had decided to take Clary out to a coffee shop, Java Jones to just have a coffee break.

Clary spent most of the time zoning out. She thought about how Jace's golden eyes had kind of darkened while the wings lifted her up.

"Are you okay, Clare? Your cheeks are kind of red."

"Oh." Clary said, embarrassed. "It's pretty hot in here, I guess." She pulled the mask a bit lower down her face.

"Okay." Isabelle said, slowly, skeptically.

She sipped on her cup of coffee to break the awkwardness.

"So… are we going shopping?" Izzy said brightly.

Clary groaned and rolled her eyes. "Sure, I could use another new mask.

So in thirty minutes they were all walking along some stores in the nearest shopping center, with Izzy squealing and pointing at "attractive" outfits along the way.

"Iz, that's the fifth hundred red dress that you've pointed at in this one hour trip." Clary said, dragging Isabelle along the way. "You should just go buy one."

"I need to check more out." Isabelle said, apparently now very attracted by a sequined silver low cut.

"Izzy, maybe I should go home." Clary rolled her eyes.

"Of course not!" Isabelle said, sounding indignant. "You should stay here with me. Why don't you go get something yourself?"

"I'm bored." Muttered Clary after twenty boutiques later. "I'm just gonna go home. Catch you later, Iz." And then she ran away before Isabelle could stop her.

She ran back to the Institute and flew up the steps, and decided if she wanted to see Jace or not. She did so she knocked on his door.

He looked bored. "Sup. You can come in. Isabelle?"

"No." Clary said, shaking her head, thinking how Jace was here, acting all normal, like nothing had ever happened between them. "She's probably trying out some silver sequin dress right now. She's dragged me through so many of those boutiques. I didn't even get to get my mask."

"I wonder how shopping is like with Isabelle." He laughed. "So… She seemed pretty pissed off when she walked in. What's up?"

"Nothing." She said weakly.

Jace frowned. "You bad liar. Come on, tell me what's up."

"Fine! Well, the last time I was in here, you were half naked. So of course she was really curious about what was happening and if we were doing _that _stuff…" Clary trailed off, and mentally hit herself on the forehead for saying that. She, of course, knew she sounded like an idiot. She looked up at Jace and saw him smirking.

"What stuff?" He said, looking very amused, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"_That _stuff!" Clary said.

Jace shook his head. "You know, you're adorable when you do that."

Clary rolled her eyes but then her mind started to process what he had just said, and she froze.

"So… Clary?" He said.

"What?"

"What are we doing now?"

"Well, we're in your bedroom, so…" Clary stopped short and her eyes widened, thinking of how it must sound like towards Jace. Dammit, it must have sounded like she wanted to-

"Do that stuff?" Jace chuckled.

"_No!" _Clary said, whirling on him and throwing her body at his side, although she knew that it wouldn't do much damage.

She noticed how close her face was to Jace's. He seemed to have an undecipherable look on his face. She was more cautious of his narrow mouth in that moment than she had ever been before.

She started to laugh nervously and back away, but judging by the fact she was practically on his lap she couldn't really do that.

Jace started to lean forward and before she knew it, his lips were on hers.

Clary was shocked at first, her green eyes widening behind her mask, but she then started to put her arms around his neck. His lips moved in sync with hers, and Clary couldn't explain the sudden urge to whip off her mask so she could kiss him properly. She started to fist one of her hand in his messy blonde hair.

She melted into the kiss, feeling herself wanting to bring herself as close to him as she could get. Clary started to tug on the hem of his shirt while his tongue caressed hers with a gentleness she never knew Jace could contain.

He let out a soft groan while Clary slipped her hands under his shirt and ran her hands up his warm chest, tracing her finger along the lines of his muscles. Jace started to cup her cheeks but then she pulled away, breaking the kiss.

"I- need- to- breathe." She said, dramatically sucking in a huge breath of air and releasing it. Jace was still hovering over her, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, his hands on the spaces on either side of Clary's head, a red curl looped around his wrist.

"So." He grinned. "You're saying you didn't enjoy it?"

"I did." She said defensively. "I just needed to breathe."

"That is the worst reason I have ever heard that is to to end a passionate make-out session, Clary Fairchild."

"Whatever. Why did you do that, anyway?

"Do what?"

"Kiss me!"

Jace rolled his eyes. "Seriously, you might actually be the first girl that has ever said that to me. Well, if you demand the truth from me, sure. I'll tell you."

Clary grinned. "Right. But just don't pour your heart out to me or give me anything cheesy."

For a second, Jace looked hurt. And then he recovered. "Fine. I'll tell you when the time comes, and you will be disappointed. But for now, I'll just tell you a section of the huge speech I was gonna give you- you're beautiful."

"Thanks." Clary said, her eyes wide. "I don't believe you. Even with half my face covered?"

"Yes." Even with half your face covered. He kissed her mask, although she couldn't feel it.

Clary turned red.

"So, are you still overwhelmed?"

"Overwhelmed? Why would I be overwhelmed?"

Jace smirked.

"No, I'm not overwhelmed by your goldness. Let's go out for dinner before anyone walks in again."

Clary laughed as she twined her fingers in Jace's and started to walk out to the dinner table. As they walked, Clary started to talk.

"So… I was wondering if the wings could do anything else. Like, fly or something."

Jace laughed. "That would be so OPed. I don't think so, although I've never tried. You could say I never took the wings as a gift. I could try, though. I never actually thought of flying..."

"Never mind. It's fine."

Clary drew her hand out of Jace's as they got to the dinner table.

o~O~o

"It's here, father."

A man with white blonde hair and jet black eyes which were very much identical to his son's peered over his son's shoulder to take a look at something.

His black eyes sparkled as he spotted something glinting, which was washed up on the shore of a river. His son stepped aside, and he bent down to grab hold of it.

It was a dagger.

He smiled as he turned the hilt around his slim, calloused fingers. "Good job, Jonathan. Now we know she is here." Valentine pocketed the dagger.

Jonathan muttered something inaudible under his breath.

"She is ours now, she belongs to us. Again." Valentine laughed, and started on his way away from the river to find the Institute.

"I noticed a blonde git who looked like an angel the other day. He might be residing in the Institute. He's nephilim." Jonathan muttered under his breath as he easily caught up with Valentine.

* * *

**Yeah we all know they're evil people. **

**I am looking forward to writing Jace's speech. lol **

**Please review, they make me happy. :)x**

**~Nicole**


	11. Chapter 11- Hollow

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back. Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows last chapter.**

**Please enjoy xx**

* * *

Clary and her friends had night training that night. What weirded her out was that Jace didn't display any acts of affection toward her, and it was not even close. He acted like she was some strange girl he barely knew.

Probably because of Isabelle and Alec or something, but he didn't give her a single acknowledgement.

Clary frowned as she watched Jace fight with Alec at the other side of the training room. She heard the clashing of their seraph blades together watched as Jace pinned Alec down, a grin on his face.

She turned back to knife throwing with Isabelle, and watched as Isabelle's knife stuck just a little bit next to the center.

She grinned and patted on Izzy's arm. She drew her arm back into the air and threw.

It stuck dead center, and she laughed as Izzy congratulated her. She turned her head towards Jace and Alec, to see that they didn't turn a head toward her.

She frowned and turned back towards training. She started to help Isabelle on perfecting her knife throwing.

"Clary, are you alright?"

"Yeah." Her knife struck center again. She tugged on her elastic, shook her hair free and walked out of the training room, sweating in her t-shirt. She went to take a quick shower.

She started toward the library, thinking about the Jace. Sometimes that boy confused her so much she wanted to tear her hair out. Sometimes she wanted to kiss him until she wanted to stop.

This was one of the times when Jace was confusing.

She got to the library and saw Max crouching in a corner, dark hair tumbling into his eyes over his glasses, manga in his hands.

And then she realized that she had barely paid much attention to her little brother, with Jace and Alec around.

"Max?" She spoke up, and walked over to Max.

Max looked up at her, blinking, his eyelashes fluttering over his blue eyes. He looked annoyed and mad.

"Max? I'm sorry, Max. I'm sorry."

"You were always with that Jace boy. You acted as if I weren't there!"

Clary flushed. It was pretty dim in there, so she hoped Max couldn't see her flush. "I'm sorry, Max. I could make it up to you tomorrow? We could go out for the whole day, and the Jace boy won't be anywhere in sight."

Max smiled, so the dimples in his cheeks showed. "Okay."

Clary smiled and ruffled Max's hair, and leaned over so she could see what he was reading.

That night, Clary, as usual, started to replay the day's events in her head. Jace's wings, soft and feathery and white, buried in her face and then wrapping around her torso to lift her up.

Jace, kissing her like there was nothing more important in the world than that, and then teasing her.

The night training, the ignoring and then Max. She started to make plans for her and Max tomorrow. First off she would take him to Forbidden Planet, and then they could go to the… Oasis Fun Center, and then they would go to Friendly's, and then they would go to…

Clary fell asleep before finishing her mental plan.

o~O~o

Jace sat on his bed. He was awake, thinking of Clary. He had spent quite a few nights like this. Sat up, thinking about Clary.

Somehow, kissing her didn't feel very right. As if he was going to get her… hurt. Like something unexpected was going to blow up into her face. Like loving her was just getting her into danger.

She was beautiful, yes, and Jace wanted nothing more but to see her face without that mask.

He wanted to get up and go over to her room, to hold her in his arms or have her curl up next to him.

His mind flashed back to her story of her brother and her father. Chills ran up his arm as he thought back to the boy with pale blonde hair and black eyes he saw the other day. He had a feeling that Clary wasn't safe from her brother or her father.

His fingers twitched around, like he was sitting in front of the piano playing on the keys. These were one of his habits he could never get rid of.

He frowned and leaned back onto the wall which had his bed pressed against it. He would do anything, _anything _to keep Clary safe-

A scream pierced through his thoughts. His eyes widened. He grabbed a long seraph blade and before he knew it, he was off and running.

Clary. It was her voice. He had known her for a few weeks, and he already recognized her scream.

Isabelle started out her room, in a pink nightie, her sleeping mask pushed up on her forehead. "What…?" She looked around, bewildered.

Jace heard another scream, but it seemed to be already fading away into the distance. He slammed open Clary's door and burst in.

"Clary?" He said, dread curling in the pit of his stomach as he switched open the lights to see that the room was empty. Empty of a person, that is.

Jace walked over to her bed and pressed a hand onto the mattress. It was still warm.

"Clary." He whispered and flung open the windows and looked down, looking frantically for Clary. She was nowhere to be seen. But then he caught a glimpse of red in the shadows and darkness, which disappeared just right around the corner of the street.

He wanted to leap out after her, to scoop her back up to safety.

He turned around, his face a mask of horror to face Alec and Isabelle. The moonlight had leached all the blue out of Alec's eyes, which made them more silver.

"Where is she?" Isabelle whispered, a hand touching her parabatai rune.

"Where do you think?" Jace hissed. He felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his body.

He felt hollow.

Isabelle's eyes widened and she covered her mouth in horror. "Name of the Angel-"

"I'm leaving now." Jace said, in his plain blue shirt and pyjama pants, only armed with one single seraph blade and no gear.

"Really, Jace? Without any gear?" Alec cut in.

He gave Alec a slight nod. He stormed past him and walked into the room. He shrugged on a leather jacket and his weapons belt and off he was.

"How do we know where they are?" Isabelle asked Jace as she eyed his clothes. She had changed, in full gear and a few blades.

"Her brother and her father. I know it." Jace said.

"So where are they?" Alec said impatiently.

"I'll go find them. What about you two just stay here and keep guard-"

"In your dreams, Jace. She's my parabatai. I'm looking for her. And I sense… she's alive."

Jace gave her a nod. "But I'll leave first."

"Huh? What?" Isabelle said. "What do you mean? I'm leaving too." She said and started toward the window. "Or the door might be a sensible idea."

"I'm wasting time." Jace said. He then ripped off his clothes and threw them on his bed.

"Jace, _what are you doing-"_

His wings grew out from his back and extended toward the ceiling, ignoring the muffled gasps from Alec and Isabelle. He stepped on the windowsill and looked out at the sky, and then focused on the corner where Clary had vanished with her brother and father.

_Have you ever tried flying before?_

He jumped.

And fell forty feet down onto the ground.

* * *

**I'm leaving in 4 days for Borneo for 6 days, so I won't be able to update. I might put an update up before I leave.**

**Please review, I love them :D**

**~Nicole **


End file.
